Foreword; Mary Renck Jalongo -- Part One: Foundations of Physical Activity and Health Promotion in Early Childhood -- 1. Physical Activity and Health Promotion in Early Childhood: Definition, Rationale, and Outcomes; Hannah Meckley Brewer -- 2. The Effect of Fine Motor Skill Activities on Kindergarten Student Attention; Audrey C. Rule and Latisha L. Smith -- 3. Early Childhood Education Environments: Affordances for Risk-taking and Physical Activity in Play; Shirley Wyver and Helen Little -- 4. Viewing Children's Movement through an Ecological Lens: Using the Interaction of Constraints to Design Positive Movement Experiences; Linda Gagen and Nancy Getchell -- 5. Physical Literacy: Addressing Core Academic Standards through Planned Physical Activity; David Wachob -- Part Two: Evidence-Based teaching strategies that promote physical activity and Health During Early childhood -- 6. Using Interactive Video Games to Enhance Physical Activity Levels among Children; Jennifer Rudella and Jennifer V. Butz -- 7. Understanding the Relationship Between Dog Ownership and Children’s Physical Activity; Hayley Christian, Carri Westgarth and Daniel M. Della Vedova -- 8. Integrating Pedometers in Early Childhood Settings to Promote the Development of Positive Health Trajectories; Leah E. Robinson, E. Kipling Webster, Kara K Palmer and Catherine Persad -- 9. Preschoolers with Developmental Delays, Adapted Physical Education, Related Services, Physical Activity, and Collaborative Teaching; Nathan M. Murata -- 10. Exploring Daily Physical Activity and Nutrition Patterns in Early Learning Settings: Observational Snapshots of Young Children in Head Start, Primary, and After-School Settings; Dolores Ann Stegelin, Denise Anderson, Karen Kemper, Jennifer Young Wagner and Katharine Evans -- 11. Using Physical Activity to Teach Academic Content: A Study of the Effects on Literacy in Preschoolers; Erik Kirk and Stacie M. Kirk -- 12. A New Inventory for Assessing Affordances in the Home Environment for Motor Development (AHEMD-SR); Carl Gabbard and Priscila Caçola -- Part Three: Physical Education Programs and Preservice/Inservice Teacher Education -- 13. Break for Physical Activity: Incorporating Classroom-Based Physical Activity into Preschools; Danielle D. Wadsworth and E. Kipling Webster -- 14. Active Designs for Movement in Early Childhood Education; Serap Sevimli Celik -- 15. Teaching Pre-service Early Childhood Educators about Educational Movement through Health and Wellness; Traci Zillifro -- 16. Increasing Children’s Participation in Physical Activity through a Before School Physical Activity Program; Keri Kulik and Justin Kulik -- 17. The Role of Service-Learning in Preparing Teachers and Related Professionals to Promote Health and Physical Activity in Early Childhood; Marybeth Miller. .

This book focuses on improving well-being among young children. It provides a theoretical base explaining why physical activity is important, and offers practical strategies for increasing health and well-being in early childhood settings. It takes ancient wisdom on the mind and body connection, applies it to the youngest children, and supports it with current empirical and international evidence—all with an eye toward improving wellness across the lifespan. The many topics discussed in the book include children’s motor skills, movement, interaction, physical literacy, the use of video games, dog ownership, developmental delays, as well as strategies to improve physical activities in the classroom and broader contexts. In recent years, children’s health has become a priority worldwide. Topics such as “screen time” “sedentary behavior” and “childhood obesity” have become important issues everywhere- in the news, in schools, in community and commercials settings, and among health care providers. Limiting sedentary behavior, increasing physical activity, and maintaining a nutritious diet are three fundamental needs during early childhood. Preschool years are a time when children begin to explore the world around them, and develop more vivid understandings of their surroundings. As this book shows, the early years may be the best time to teach wellness concepts and assist young children in establishing healthy lifestyle habits.